Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish are undisputedly one of the most dominant forces in pro wrestling over the past several years.
The dangerous trio has reunited in All Elite Wrestling. We’ve seen O’Reilly and Fish resume using their ReDragon moniker in AEW, but the faction has yet to receive an official name.
“Undisputed Era” is intellectual property of WWE. However, a new trademark filing by AEW reveals what is likely their new name.
AEW filed a trademark application for the name “Paragon” on January 3rd, along with a logo we’re sure to see on licensed merchandise in the near future.
The word paragon means, “a person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality.”
We’ve heard the word paragon used on AEW television in recent weeks, another clue that
AEW presents Battle of the Belts this Saturday night on TNT. This is the first of AEW’s quarterly 1-hour Saturday night TNT specials that we’ll see this year.
As of this writing, two championship matches have been signed for event.TNT
Former AEW TNT Champion Sammy Guevara will get a rematch against the man who beat him for the gold just over a week ago, Cody Rhodes.
Riho will also challenge Britt Baker for the coveted AEW Women’s Championship.
AEW has announced a change will be made to the card due to “medical protocol.”
No further details have been announced just yet, but we’ll get more information on Friday’s Rampage.
Aside from Cody Rhodes and Britt Baker, AEW’s other champions include “Hangman” Adam Page (World Champion), Jurassic Express (Tag Champions) and Jade Cargill (TBS Champion). Ricky Starks holds the [unsanctioned] FTW Championship.
SEScoops will provide an update on this story late Friday night after Rampage.
The Brock Lesnar vs Jinder Mahal match at the Survivor Series 2017 was apparently changed because the Beast refused to work with The Modern Day Maharaja.
Since the reintroduction of the brand split in 2016, Survivor Series has been the event where champions from both brands clash against each other.
The announced main event for the 2017 event was the Universal champion Brock Lesnar vs the WWE champion Jinder Mahal.
However, Mahal lost his title to AJ Styles during the November 7, 2017 episode of SmackDown. As a result, the Phenomenal one replaced Jinder in the match against the Beast Incarnate.
Dave Meltzer talked about this match on Wrestling Observer Radio. He revealed that Lesnar actually refused to work with the former NXT star, leading to the change.
While Styles helped put on a great match at the PPV, the loss for Jinder Mahal meant that he didn’t get to carry the title during his India tour shortly afterward.
The loss ended Mahal’s only world title reign at 170 days. AJ Styles would go on to hold the championship for 371 days, before losing it to Daniel Bryan during the November 13, 2018 episode of SmackDown.
Brock Lesnar on the other hand has had multiple reigns with the world title since then. His latest run started only a few days ago when he won the WWE championship in a fatal five way during Day 1.
Former WWE NXT UK Champion Walter will be wrestling for NXT’s main North American brand moving forward, and as such, the former champion has revealed when his final match with the UK brand will be.
Next week’s edition of NXT UK will be subtitled “Walter’s Last Stand.” On the show, Walter will wrestle Nathan Frazier (Ben Carter) in his final bout for the brand before moving over to this side of the pond full time.
Walter’s statement on his exit from WWE’s NXT UK was as follows:
“Ever since I arrived in NXT UK, it was January 2019, I dominated this brand,” WALTER said (h/t Wrestling Inc). “I always preached what’s important to me, Marcel, and Fabian – the mat is sacred to us. And for a historic title reign of 870 days, I brought back glory, respect and dignity to this sport. But now the time has come, it’s my last match in NXT UK, at least for now, and my opponent will be Nathan Frazier.
“I’ve been told all the great things about you – you’re high-flying, you’re up & coming, very talented, you’re the future of this brand. But let me tell you this – I’m not impressed with any of that because like everybody else, you’re in this for yourself, and you’ve taken the absolute piss out of this great sport. You will learn one thing, that one thing, it will never change – when The Ring General steps into a ring, he will come out victorious because for me, the mat is sacred.”
Walter wrestled at NXT 2.0’s New Year’s Evil event on Tuesday, a losing effort alongside Imperium against MSK and Riddle. He’ll shift his focus to that brand now full-time in the months ahead. This has long been WWE’s goal for him, though he wasn’t ready to leave Europe and his life there previously.
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Brian James (Road Dogg of New Age Outlaws fame) was one of the many names released by WWE on Wednesday during another round of cuts. The former multi-time WWE tag team champion finds himself out of the company for the first time in over 10 years.
Over the last several years, James had worked backstage as a WWE producer as well as a contributor on the writing team at various times. Most recently, he had been working at the WWE Performance Center in helping young talents with their character development.
Reacting to his release on Wednesday, James wrote on his Facebook page, “Guys, I’m doing well and I thank you for all the love. I’m gonna take a few days for my self and process this. God is still on the throne and will provide. It’s just business!”
With 30 years of experience in the wrestling industry and still just 52 years old, it’s not hard to imagine James working for another wrestling company. Could that next stop be AEW?
James’ former tag team partner, Billy Gunn, works backstage and still wrestles on screen for the promotion as part of the Gunn Club. James was asked on Twitter about a possible reunion for the New Age Outlaws and seemed quite receptive to the idea.
There’s no doubt that a reunion with Gunn would be interesting, at least if for one night only. James could also contribute backstage as a producer for the promotion and help the young talent, a role he has several years of experience in.
James, who had been off Twitter in recent months, also made sure to thank the people at NXT whom he had been working with in recent years.
I just want to thank all the individuals from @WWENXT especially the young talent. The relationships we’ve built will last forever! #THANKYOU
Do you want to see Brian James end up in AEW? What would you think of an on-screen reunion with Billy Gunn? Let us know in the comments section below this article.
Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.
Nick Aldis believes he pumped some life back into the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship.
Aldis recently revealed that he has signed a new contract with NWA. In a follow-up, Inside The Ropes reported that the deal has been extended to one year and is not exclusive.
Nick Aldis Relishes In Previous Title Reigns
NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis
Aldis is a two-time NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion. His last reign lasted 1,043 days. That is the longest NWA world title run since Dan Severn held the gold for 1,479 days beginning in 1995 and ending in 1999.
Appearing as a guest on Busted Open Radio, Nick Aldis told Tommy Dreamer and Dave LaGreca that his two runs as NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion speak for themselves.
“I did more for that championship than anybody in recent history. So, the onus is on him [Trevor Murdoch] to do what he can with it to keep making it mean something.
“In the meantime, I’ve always got one eye on that belt. Me and that belt have become synonymous and that means a great deal to me as you know.”
Next Stop: Crockett Cup?
As far as what’s next for Aldis, don’t be surprised if he decides to try his hand in the Crockett Cup.
“Look, I had a very good time having a brief reuniting of The British Invasion with Doug Williams.
“We may discuss the possibility of trying to do that for the Crockett Cup because as you know the Crockett Cup is a big thing on the NWA calendar and I have a lot of passion for tag team wrestling.
“The Crockett Cup is something that I’ve been very proud of that we’ve been able to bring back and make so exciting for people. The one thing about the Crockett Cup that’s bugged me is that I haven’t had a chance to take part in it yet.
“So, that’s something I may be considering.”
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Bully Ray believes MJF is firing verbal shots towards CM Punk that are getting under his skin.
Punk and MJF have been involved in a feud and fans have had the pleasure of witnessing verbal battles on Dynamite. The two have yet to have a one-on-one match but they’re expected to collide within the next month or so.
“It’s not a made-up line, it’s dead-on balls-accurate truth. And guess what? Punk don’t like those truths being thrown in his face. You could see it in the phony smile that comes over his face.
“It’s like when a boxer gets tagged in the ring with a great shot and they smile and they try to laugh it off. All that smile says is, ‘Yeah, you got me and you got me good.’ MJF is not pulling sh*t out of thin air.
“He’s hitting him straight between the eyes with brutal honesty and whether or not they discussed it, it doesn’t matter. There’s so many things that you can hit Punk with that can land death blows on him it’s not funny.
“All those smoke and mirrors that he used can go away in the snap of a finger and MJF knows how to do it.”
In storyline, MJF is also flying a little too close to the sun when it comes to his bodyguard Wardlow. Fans have noticed MJF taking Wardlow for granted over the past few months and it’ll likely lead to a split between the two.
As for Punk, many believe he’s been planting the seeds for an eventual heel turn. He seemingly tested the waters while throwing shade at MJF’s hometown crowd in Long Island back in late 2021.
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Samoa Joe is leaving the WWE for the second time in less than a year.
Fightful Select reports that WWE has released Samoa Joe. Joe has not been on WWE TV since he dropped the NXT Championship due to injury. The company released him the first time due to budget cuts. It’s unclear what the reason is behind the WWE decision this time.
“…Fightful has confirmed Samoa Joe has been let go from WWE. The company has confirmed the news to us,” said the report.
Joe has released a statement on Twitter regarding his second departure from the WWE. In the post, he praised the new talent in NXT 2.0 and seems optimistic about his professional wrestling future.
“Extremely fortunate and grateful to all the young & amazing talent I had the pleasure of working with in the past months. Only saddened at the loss of an “excuse” to see their continued growth & achievement. I am very excited for their future,… and mine,” said Joe
Extremely fortunate and grateful to all the young & amazing talent I had the pleasure of working with in the past months. Only saddened at the loss of an “excuse” to see their continued growth & achievement . I am very excited for there future,….. and mine ?
WWE has released both talent and employees in the last two days. Yesterday, the WWE released notable names like former NXT General Manager William Regal, Timothy Thatcher, Danny Burch, Hideki Suzuki, and Road Dogg. This news follows an unfortunate trend that the company has done over the last year, as the company released over 80 talent in 2021. WWE’s reason for letting talent go was also due to budget cuts.
Samoa Joe Last Run in WWE
Joe is coming off of a brief run in NXT. He returned to NXT on June 15, 2021, as Regal’s Special Enforcer. However, NXT had Joe challenge former NXT champion Karrion Kross for the title two months later at NXT Takeover 36. He defeated Kross to become a three-time NXT Champion.
Unfortunately for Joe, he wasn’t able to defend the title because Joe suffered an undisclosed injury that forced him to vacate the championship. During this time, NXT rebranded itself into NXT 2.0 and started to showcase newer talent. While NXT 2.0 introduced new talent like the current NXT Champion Bron Breakker, some NXT veterans have left the company.
While Joe’s departure from the WWE seems sudden, he seems focused on what’s next for him. It’s unclear how long Joe will be a free agent in the pro wrestling business.
NXT Champion Bron Breakker believes that NXT 2.0 fans aren’t going to lose old NXT veterans.
CBS Sports Shakiel Mahjouri spoke to Breakker after winning at NXT New Years Evil on January 4th. Breakker defeated Tommaso Ciampa at the event to win the NXT Championship. Mahjouri asked Breakker if his win marked the “Nail in the coffin” for NXT Veterans. However, Breakker rejects that idea.
“I don’t think it’s a nail in the coffin or anything like that, said Breakker. He continued, “…We are just shifting from black and gold to just 2.0. The veterans from black and gold that are still here, Tommaso, is going to be around man. I’m sure that he and I will cross paths again. That will happen at some point in time. Whether it’s now or later, it’s going to happen again.”
NXT 2.0 New Direction
The NXT 2.0 brand is going through drastic changes. In December, NXT veterans like Kyle O’ Riley and Johnny Gargano left the company. The WWE also has released other NXT talent due to budget cuts throughout last year. Yesterday, the company released former NXT General Manager William Regal, Timothy Thatcher, Danny Burch, and Hideki Suzuki.
Breakker wants to create his legacy in professional wrestling. Known as the son of Rick Steiner, he wants to stand on his own without using his family name. Now champion, Breakker is the face of NXT 2.0. While that could be overwhelming for other wrestlers, he welcomes the new role.
“I want to be for the people. I want to be a fighting champion,” said Breakker. He continued, “…I want people to be on the edge of their seats when I come out because they love me, and they can’t wait to see what I’m going to do next. I just want to be an honorable champion and representation of this company and show what we’re all about here at NXT, and that’s it, man.”
It’s unclear what WWE will do with NXT veterans this year. However, Breakker is expecting to be ready to defend the NXT Championship against anyone.
All Elite Wrestling Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes believes going through a flaming table was foolish. However, he doesn’t regret it.
Rhodes spoke with ComicBook’s Connor Casey about his decision that shocked AEW fans. The moment happened during a Street Fight match with Andrade El Idolo on December 1, 2021, and Rhodes reversed suplex Idolo through the flaming table to win. While Rhodes suffered burns, he thinks Street Fight matches should be memorable in AEW.
Casey transcribed the following quotes.
“I’m going to try and keep my language somewhat clean, but (that was) maybe the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. But man, it was cool. Dumb, but also what a good image, in terms of just that’s how we do Dynamite,” said Rhodes. He continued, “That specific incident wasn’t so much about topping myself, I just hate in wrestling when you’ll hear, “Oh, it’s a street fight. It’s a Tupelo Falls Count Anywhere match or whatever,” and then it’s just Basic Betty, it’s checking boxes versus actually taking that level of danger into account. And that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to make sure people know that, if there’s a Street Fight on AEW, it’s a Street Fight. It’s going to leave you with a lasting memory and, ultimately, I think we did that.”
Cody Rhodes Past Dangerous Spots
In AEW, Rhodes has had several dangerous moments in matches. Shawn Spears hit Rhodes on the head with a chair at AEW Fyter Fest on June 30, 2019. Fans responded negatively to Rhodes and the company for allowing it to happen. AEW President Tony Khan shared after the event that the spot didn’t go as planned.
“We called the doctor immediately. It was obviously really regrettable what happened,” Khan said. Rhodes ended up needing 12 staples to close the wound on his head.
Rhodes also did a moonsault off the top of a steel cage in a match with Wardlow at AEW Dynamite on February 19, 2020. While he didn’t injure himself, people in AEW didn’t want him to do the spot. Rhodes shared that Khan didn’t want him to do the jump. However, the moment still went as planned.
On Saturday, Rhodes will defend his TNT Championship against Sammy Guevara at AEW Battle of the Belts. Guevara will try to reclaim the title after losing to Rhodes at AEW Rampage on December 25, 2021.
Rey Fenix has issued a statement following the injury he sustained on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite. The former AEW tag champion confirms “there are no broken bones” and he hopes to be back in action sooner than later.
“I want to thank each and every one of you for so much love, for your prayers, good vibes, for your messages. Thank you very much for being concerned about me.
I feel very blessed to have all of you. Fans, colleagues (Wrestlers), my friends and my family, Thank you very much.
I love this sport so much that it has changed my life and mine, that when I am in the ring or put on my mask, everything goes away. There are no fears, there are no problems, my heart beats perfectly, everything is fine, I feel alive.
What happened last night is one of the many risks that we wrestlers take before getting into a ring and doing what we love so much.
There is no fault, it is wrestling and these are the risks.
Today I can tell you that I feel better and that thank God, your prayers and good vibes THERE ARE NO BROKEN BONES.
You still have to visit the doctor a couple more times and do some studies, to have an exact diagnosis.
Thank you very much once again to all and congratulations to the champions, enjoy and defend those titles, because very soon I am back and those championships belong to the LUCHA BROTHERS. I respect!
Jim Ross believes Big E has an opportunity at his fingertips after dropping the WWE Championship.
Big E’s reign came to an end at 110 days. E put the WWE gold on the line at the Day 1 event on Jan. 1. It was a fatal five-way match that also featured Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley, Kevin Owens, and Seth Rollins.
Ultimately, Brock pinned Big E to become a six-time WWE Champion.
JR Talks Big E Losing WWE Title
Legendary play-by-play commentator Jim Ross took to his Grilling JR podcast to discuss Big E’s title reign coming to an end. JR believes there is a silver lining for the former New Day member.
“Here’s what it does, it creates an opportunity for Big E to step up because he’ll be chasing this inhuman person, Brock Lesnar. So, as far as I’m concerned it’s an opportunity for Big E to do his thing. Hopefully it will, he’s such a nice guy, really a nice guy. He’s a credit to our wrestling business, Big E I’m speaking of.”
JR isn’t the only one to have chimed in on the end of Big E’s WWE Title run. Bully Ray discussed it during an episode of Busted Open Radio. The WWE and TNA Hall of Famer said he feels Big E is more valuable chasing the gold than he is retaining it.
On his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T expressed his belief that the WWE Championship has made Big E more credible. He also thinks Big E did a “great job” as WWE Champion.
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MJF lost to Capt. Shawn Dean on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite. His win/loss record for 2022 now stands at a meager 0-1.
The loss came after CM Punk hit the ring and attacked Dean with the sole intention of awarding him the DQ victory. Punk said he will continue getting MJF disqualified until he mans up and faces him in the ring. It was a clever finish that forces MJF to stop running away and wrestle Punk once and for all.
MJF is not happy about losing his first match of the year. A losing record is no way to earn title shots, so he knows this cannot go on for much longer.
On Thursday, he took to social media and declared that no one has ever, nor will they ever, beat him clean.
Several fans have pointed out that MJF has lost to Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley. The Long Island native argues that those losses were illegitimate.
MJF says Jericho had their match restarted by a crooked official, while Moxley had to use the Paradigm Shift, a move that was banned during that match, to get a win.
JERICHO HAD THE MATCH RESTARTED BY A CROOKED OFFICIAL AFTER I BEAT HIM CLEAN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RING!
Roman Reigns is medically cleared to return to the ring. The Universal Champion was forced to miss last weekend’s Day 1 premium live event after testing positive for COVID-19.
WWE announced on Thursday, “BREAKING: Roman Reigns has been medically cleared and is set to return at tomorrow’s Friday Night SmackDown. What will Brock Lesnar have in store for their explosive confrontation?”
Reigns hasn’t wrestled since a December 19th live event in Des Moines, Iowa. He teamed with his cousin the Usos and lost to Drew McIntyre, Xavier Woods, and Rey Mysterio on that show.
Leading up to the Day 1 show, Reigns had been pulled from several live event shows including at Madison Square Garden and shows in Florida as well.
At the conclusion of this week’s WWE Raw, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar sent a message to Reigns that he would see him on Friday on Smackdown. Lesnar had been scheduled to face Reigns for the Universal title at Day 1 before Reigns was pulled from the show.
Lesnar went on to win the WWE Championship in a fatal 5-way match against then-champion Big E, Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, and Kevin Owens. He has also re-aligned with Paul Heyman after Reigns fired him recently on Smackdown.
Big Swole is speaking out after days of online harassment from wrestling fans on social media.
The controversy began on December 31st, when Swole addressed her AEW departure on her show, Swole World. She spoke about her AEW career and revealed some things that really bothered her during her time with the company.
Swole criticized the AEW for lacking diversity and black representation. Her comments have ignited a passionate debate.
Disclaimer This article contains some offensive/racist language, via DM’s shared by Big Swole
The lack of opportunities for women pushed Swole not to re-sign. However, she also cited a lack of structure and, more importantly, diversity and representation issues.
“… There are a lot of things with that company that need to change, and I know that fans of the company don’t take criticism well sometimes, like certain ones. But know this, that this is somebody just from the inside that the structure is a little off, said Swole. Swole explained, “… It’s fine to be loose, but I like to have a little bit more structure. I felt like the women shouldn’t have gone through everything they went through just to get on TV. Just to get time. You’re signed to this big company you want time. All these men are getting time, but the women weren’t getting anything. Or you’re not putting people on TV because ‘Oh, more people have come in.’ Okay, there is more people coming in, but you don’t have enough product for all these people.”
More on Big Swole’s Comments
The lack of attention to the women’s division is an issue that Swole detailed on her show. She shared that other female talents were frustrated with the lack of direction and opportunity to perform on TV, compared to the males. She also revealed that Khan asked her to help with the women’s division as the locker room leader.
Swole would communicate that the talent was unhappy with the lack of opportunities and help to improve in-ring. While this is one of her criticism of AEW, fans and wrestlers were more concerned with her comments on diversity.
Swole believes that AEW should give more people from the black community a voice in higher positions in the company. She mentioned that her daughter watched AEW on TV and noticed nobody looked like her or Swole. Swole also said that her daughter started to watch WWE because wrestlers like Bianca Belair and Big E were on TV.
“I do not like to beat around the bush when it comes to diversity,” said Swole. “When it comes to my people, there is no representation truly, and when it is representation, it does not come across in the black community as genuine at all.”
She continued, “…What happens is, you have this wonderful company that treats people like family, but there is nobody that looks like me that is represented at the top. They’re not in the room with them. They are not helping to not necessarily influence decisions but also be there to explain. You know, why certain slang, why this certain word shouldn’t be said. Why this that and the third. There’s no one else who can explain our culture except for us. Who can explain our experience except for us.”
While Swole shared her criticisms, she credited AEW for making some progress. However, she still wants to see the company do more. She doesn’t just want more representation in AEW, but other wrestling companies with TV deals in the United States like the WWE. She also wants more representation from different races and ethnic backgrounds like dark-skinned Latinas and Latinos, Asians, and Indians on TV.
Swole ended her episode wishing success for AEW and WWE while noting that she has no bad blood towards AEW.
The top 2 @AEW execs are brown (me & Megha)!! Jade, Bowens, Caster, Dante, Nyla, Isiah & Marq Quen all won on tv this month. The TBS Title Tournament has been very diverse. I let Swole’s contract expire as I felt her wrestling wasn’t good enough. #AEWRampage Street Fight TONIGHT! https://t.co/NprF6I7D6G
Swole’s criticism prompted a response from Khan on Twitter. In his response, he shared that AEW doesn’t have a problem with diversity. He pointed out that he’s Pakistani American and that seven wrestlers from different ethnic backgrounds won matches in December. Khan also said that he let Swole contract expire because “…her wrestling wasn’t good enough.” Fans may also remember that Swole worked with Crohn’s Disease during her AEW career.
Khan’s comments sparked criticism for how he handled Swole’s remarks. AEW talent Lio Rush demanded that Khan apologizes on Twitter. However, other talents defended Khan, like Tayconti and Powerhouse Hobbs. Rush shared on January 1, he had a private conversation with Khan and that AEW is seeking input from an African American perspective.
Khan’s response to Swole added to the hostile reactions towards her. It not only made fans questions Swole wrestling ability but also invited fans to harass her. Swole posted a picture of a direct message from a fan on Twitter that racially attacked her. Another fan wished death on Swole. Recently, Swole tweeted that fans are now involving her daughter in their harassment. Khan hasn’t said anything else regarding Swole since his response on Twitter.
Khan Big Plans for Diversity in 2022
The AEW President appeared on Barstool Rasslin with Brandon F. Walker to share his big plans for diversity and representation in AEW. He also mentioned signing new talent Mercedes Martinez and Jake Atlas recently as part of the plan to be more diverse. While Khan says he has plans for diversity and representation, he didn’t reveal what they were.
“…I have some huge plans for 2022 that have been a long time in the making, and then I have some huge plans in 2022 to build a stronger, more diverse representation across the board, and nobody knows what it is yet, but I have a couple really exciting things that are going to be coming up in the next month, six weeks,” said Khan.
It’s unclear if Khan’s plans include signing new talent or hiring new employees from different ethnic backgrounds for higher positions in AEW. He also didn’t mention what he plans to do with talent already signed to AEW like Sonny Kiss, Jay Lethal, or Emi Sakura. It also contradicts his point that there isn’t a diversity or representation issue if he has to build a stronger and more diverse representation in AEW.
Regardless, Khan plans to make progress this year, and fans will have to wait to see what those plans are.
Rey Fenix took a nasty bump through a table at the hands of Luchasaurus on Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite. As Fenix landed on the outside, his arm bent back the wrong way. The injury appeared to be quite serious.
Fenix never did return to the match. Jungle Boy pinned Penta El Zero Miedo to win the AEW World Tag Team Championships.
Thankfully, it seems that things could have been much worse. Bryan Alvarez from F4WOnline posted an update on Fenix’s condition on Thursday afternoon. As it turns out, Fenix did not break his arm, but it was badly dislocated.
The Lucha Bros were the 5th team in AEW history to win the tag team titles. SCU, Hangman Page & Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and FTR all held the belts before them. They held the titles for 122 days and successfully defended the championships on 4 occasions during their reign.
Bruce Prichard missing a number of WWE tapings recently had made some headlines and it was said the wrestling veteran was dealing with some health issues.
The WWE Senior Vice President addressed these reports on the latest episode of his Something To Wrestle podcast and cleared the air on his absence.
Prichard was asked how he was doing and he said that he is doing great. The WWE executive then claimed that the rumors going around are complete ‘horses**t’:
“I’m fucking great, here’s the funny thing, I had a great vacation in Cobo. I got a little bit of Montezuma’s revenge. To address some of the rumor and innuendo, which is complete horseshit, out there in the wrestling media.”
Bruce Prichard explained that he likes to save his vacations till the end of the year so he can pair them with a couple of extra days off in Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Since WWE gave the wrestlers some time off during Christmas and aired a taped show instead, it looked as if Prichard was absent from multiple tapings:
“Then, I got the flu. I was running a fever and not feeling well. We have a great team and an incredible support system that was there. I missed three TVs.”
Bruce Prichard has worked with WWE on and off for over three decades now. He first joined the promotion as a manager in 1987.
Gabe Sapolsky has reached the “end of the road” in WWE. He sent out a tweet Thursday morning letting his followers with a quote by Neil Peart that reads,
“I don’t regret the ride that has to be over, but rather feel grateful for the miles travelled, for the sights along the way, and to be exactly where I am.”
The company released a brief statement addressing the latest round of firings:
“With the continued evolution of NXT 2.0, we’ve decided to part ways with some of the staff based in our Performance Center. We thank them for their many contributions throughout the years and wish them the best.”
Corey Graves has been teasing an in-ring return in recent months. He even got physical on Raw in November when he briefly won the 24/7 championship. Now the retired star is suggesting that he might enter the Royal Rumble match.
A number of WWE superstars declared their entry into the upcoming Battle Royal during this past Monday’s Raw including The Mysterio Family and The Street Profits.
WWE recently made a tweet asking which other superstar should declare their entry into the match, and Graves responded with a tweet of his own:
After a 3 year long NXT run, Corey Graves officially announced his retirement from active competition due to concussion issues in December 2014.
He then started working as a pre-show panellist and eventually settled down in his current role as a lead commentator for WWE shows.
Edge is the most recent example of someone who has come back from a career ending injury. He also made his return during the Royal Rumble PPV a couple of years ago in 2020.
Whether or not there are actual plans for Corey Graves to return during the upcoming show will only be revealed in coming times.
Though the multiple teases have certainly gotten fans excited about the potential of seeing the former NXT star back in the ring after almost 7 years.
Thunder Rosa was Renee Paquette’s guest on the latest episode of the Oral Sessions podcast. During the discussion, they spoke about how Thunder Rosa went from a social worker to one of the top stars in AEW, how she almost ended up in WWE as a ref, and how she feels about her Lights Out match with Britt Baker last year.
Rosa was technically contracted to the NWA when she first appeared for All Elite Wrestling in August 2020. It wasn’t until nearly a year later that she signed an exclusive deal with the promotion.
She was branded as an ‘outsider’ from the beginning – a label that’s followed her throughout her career.
Thunder Rosa told Renee, “You know, I felt the pressure from moment one, because I knew what I was coming for. I’m an outsider.”
Renee asked what she meant by that. How was she an outsider?
“I don’t know if you remember, but the storyline was, ‘You don’t belong here. You don’t belong here,” Rosa said. “They keep telling me, I’m an outsider my whole entire career. Because I never watched wrestling. I was a social worker. I came into the business because it was fun. It was something that interested me and I ended up being f-cking pretty good at it. And people didn’t like that.”
. @thunderrosa22 ????this chick freaking rules!! But we already knew that. Man, her journey is wild! I had no idea everything she’s been through. We talk her lights out match w @realbrittbaker, why she almost quit, moving to the United States, her family and so much more. @AEWpic.twitter.com/wZhRRFZuPp
Thunder Rosa continued, “You come from another company and it’s a blessing and a curse when you’re too good at something, at any job. So you come in at something, you’re supposed to be a one and done, and then you’re like, ‘What’s up guys. I’m the cousin nobody wants to see, but you still see me.’ And they put me in this super important spot. You’re like, ‘holy crap.’ If i sh-t the bed, this is it.”
Despite this adversity, Thunder Rosa believed in herself. She knew that if she was able to tell a story in the ring the way it was meant to be told, that she’d be ok.
James has held many roles with WWE over the years, including head-writer of WWE SmackDown and most recently, a coach at the WWE Performance Center. He had been mentoring students on character development and promos.
The 5-time WWE tag team champion issued a brief statement regarding his departure from the company.
James thanked his fans for supporting him during this challenging time. He admits that it’s going to take a few days to process this major life event. However, he’s leaning on his faith in God to get him through it.
As a WWE employee, he’s seen literally hundreds of people come and go over the years. He seems to be taking things in stride, understanding that “It’s just business!”
James is another loyal Triple H ally that has been released, as WWE guts what’s left of The Game’s previous incarnation of NXT.
Road Dogg is a popular figure in pro wrestling and still has legions of fans from his days as a member of the New Age Outlaws. He should have no problem continuing to make a living in the business, if that’s what he decides to pursue.
Goldberg has been very open about having only one match left on his current contract. The former Universal champion also recently revealed that he has been holding off his shoulder surgery for after he has retired.
This has made many wonder if the former world champion is considering retirement after his current contract expires. Though it appears the monster-sized athlete still has things that might keep him going.
The 55-year-old was asked if his upcoming match could be his last during a recent interview with Sports Illustrated. Responding to it, Goldberg claimed that he is focused on what’s next:
“I’m focused on what’s next, if they want to come back to me with something, we’ll talk. You never know what the future holds.”
– Goldberg
The WCW veteran admitted that it’s not easy to continue the heavyweight style of wrestling at his age. Though Goldberg claimed that it’s all worth it if he can open the door of more opportunities for his son Gage:
“As a power wrestler, it’s tough, it’s not easy to do this at my age. But I knew that, and I said the hell with it. For me, the prize is worth it, and that’s to open up opportunities for my son. If I can continue to do what I’m doing and continue to provide opportunities for him, then I’ll consider this a success.”
Gage was featured on WWE programming most recently during the Goldberg-Bobby Lashley program. While there is no word yet on if he has any plans to pursue a wrestling career, the exposure can help him in other walks of life as well.
The recent Big Swole controversy has landed Tony Khan in hot waters. Even members of the IWC who are usually very supportive of the AEW president, have distanced themselves from his comments. While the wrestling promoter since seems to have learned not to publicly call out his ex-employees, he is not refraining himself from promising a diverse representation in his company in 2022.
Khan recently had an interview with Barstool Wrestling. He talked about all the additions to the AEW roster in 2021 and what qualities he looks for while signing people. Tony claimed that professionalism is the number one thing on his list:
“There’s a number of things. There’s in-ring ability. There’s professionalism, [which] I think is very important. That’s number one. The first word in professional wrestler is professional. I think there’s also in-ring ability, charisma, promos. [It’s] looking for a combination of these. If somebody has some more than others, you can work around it to some extent, but you need them all.”
Tony Khan Says AEW Plans To Build A Diverse Representation In 2022
Tony Khan (Photo: Robbie Fox for Barstool)
Tony Khan was later asked about AEW’s plans in 2022. The AEW owner first explained that it’s going to be a huge year for them. He then mentioned how their two most recent signings are a step towards helping them achieve the goal of diversity:
“It’s gonna be a huge year for us. We’ve expanded the roster so much. Like I said, it’s a more competitive roster than it’s ever been. And it’s a more diverse roster than it’s ever been. Just look at the signings [in] the last couple [of] weeks, the last two wrestlers we’ve announced coming in. Mercedes Martinez and then of course just in the last 24 hours, Jake Atlas.”
Khan recalled how Mercedes Martinez helped Jade Cargill in reaching the finals of the TBS tournament during her return to AEW programming. He also mentioned the debut of Jake Atlas before claiming that he has some huge plans for 2022 that have been in the making for a long time:
“I have some huge plans for 2022 that have been a long time in the making. And then I have some huge plans for 2022 to build a stronger, more diverse representation across the board. Nobody knows what it is yet, but I have a couple [of] really exciting things that are gonna be coming up in the next month, six weeks.
It’s gonna be really good. It’s been stuff that’s been a long time planned, and it’s gonna be awesome. There’s also some stuff that just kind of came up, to be honest with you that is gonna be pretty dope”
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
Rey Fenix wasn’t the only AEW star to suffer an injury during tonight’s event in Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center. According to a report from PWInsider, new signee Jake Atlas was injured as well during the Rampage tapings following AEW Dynamite on Wednesday night.
Atlas made his debut for AEW last week at the AEW Dark Elevation tapings in Jacksonville. It was soon revealed that he had signed a contract with the promotion. Then, during tonight’s AEW Dynamite broadcast, Adam Cole challenged him to a match for Rampage and said he would “send him back to Orlando” (a reference to WWE NXT, where Atlas previously worked).
Friday’s Rampage was taped immediately following the conclusion of Dynamite on Wednesday night, and Cole vs. Atlas apparently saw Atlas blow out his knee during the match. There’s currently no word on the severity of the injury.
The injury reportedly happened when Atlas was executing a springboard from the ring apron into the ring and took a superkick from Cole. He clutched his knee and fell to the mat. When they went for Cole’s Panama Sunrise finisher, Atlas was unable to take the move. He apparently tried to pull himself up to get in position for the Panama Sunrise, but it wasn’t working out, so Cole instead locked him into a kneebar and Atlas tapped out.
Following the match, AEW officials helped Atlas to the locker room. Bryan Alvarez later stated that Atlas is scheduled for an MRI.
Rey Fenix Suffered Nasty Injury Earlier In The Night
Rey Fenix suffered a brutal injury during the main event of Dynamite. That match saw the Lucha Bros lose the AEW tag team titles to Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus. Near the conclusion of the match, Luchasaurus choke slammed Fenix through a table on the outside and Fenix’s arm bent back in an awkward direction upon his landing.
A replay was shown during the broadcast on more than one occasion where Fenix’s injury was immediately apparent. He clutched and pointed at his arm and asked for help as the match came to its conclusion back in the ring.
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Dynamite’s main event this week featured a tag team title match. The Lucha Bros put the AEW World Tag Team Championships on the line against Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus.
Jungle Boy picked up the win for his team, securing himself and Luchasaurus their first taste of championship gold in AEW. He reversed Made In Japan into a pin for the three-count in the biggest victory of his young career.
Unfortunately, the win was overshadowed by a freak injury that will surely put Rey Fenix out of action for months.
Fenix’s Arm Is Totaled
Moments before the conclusion of the match, Luchasaurus landed a chokeslam on Fenix from the ring apron onto a table.
Fenix is known for his risk-taking style but in this situation, the table bump was rather tame compared to some of the wild things he’s pulled off. It just goes to show that the old saying, “This ain’t ballet” rings true in the world of pro wrestling.
SEScoops has learned that Rey Fenix was hospitalized after AEW Dynamite. It’s believed that he dislocated his elbow, but we’re waiting on further confirmation.
(Update) Alex Abrahantes provided the following update on Thursday morning:
Just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to all that have sent well wishes to @ReyFenixMx I can’t comment on his condition. Rey gives 1000% every time he steps into the ring. Last night was very unfortunate. He’s a great person and I know he appreciates your love and support.
